Government Orders Striking Seamen to Resume Work

Greece ordered striking seamen to return to work on Monday. This follows a week long strike which left ships and passengers stranded at ports.
The government issued the order after the striking Greek Seamen’s Federation said it would extend the strike until Thursday. Earlier talks between the government and employers have failed to end the deadlock.
“We couldn’t even ship the dead to and from the islands to bury them,” Maritime Affairs Minister Yannis Diamantidis said. “To protect the Greek people’s national interest… the government decided to move to a political mobilisation.”
“We will not allow the violation of our rights,” said Yannis Halas, General Secretary of the Panhellenic Seamen Federation (PNO).
Greece’s government last used the emergency order in August. The order regarded the trucking sector by threatening truckers with jail time if they didn’t call off their strike that starved gas stations of fuel.